Fused Glass Decals

Fused glass decals can add a very unique and simple embellishment to a fused glass piece.

There are more and more designs on the market every day, making these adaptable to your project.

They come in designs from palm trees for that tropical feel to sun and moon for more of an earthy desire.

Instead of trying to etch glass, which has its limits, you could simply add one of these fused glass decals.

Etching glass can only be done on dichroic glass for the image to show up in the final product, while decals give you the benefit of using any glass desired.

You could paint the glass or add other embellishments before adding a decal.

Fused glass decals come in low-fire and high-fire, so determine which product you are purchasing so that you will know which schedule to use for these ceramic decals.

Low-fire decals are generally fired to between 1034-1074 degrees Fahrenheit, while the high-fire decals go up to temperatures between 1280-1320 degrees Fahrenheit.
The preheating process is very important in achieving the desired outcome on your particular piece.

There are materials in the medium that need to be burned off slowly.

Ventilation is important so that these materials will not end up back on the glass.

Ventilation can be achieved using kiln posts to keep the lid open during the heating up stages.

The lid should be open about 1-2 inches.

Placing decals on pre-fused glass will give you a smooth even base for them to adhere to.

This will help to prevent bubbles from forming and ruining the final product.

Materials:

Decal

Pre-fused glass

Glass Cleaner

Water container

Distilled Water

Paper towel

Kiln

Prepared kiln shelf

Kiln posts

Protective glasses

Directions:

1. Purchase the desired decal.

2. Determine which glass you want as your background and fuse two or more pieces together to a full fuse to achieve a smooth piece.

8. Soak pre-cut decal in water until it can be easily slid off of background paper.

9. Slowly and delicately slide decal onto glass.

10. Blot decal with paper towel removing any unwanted bubbles from under decal.

11. Allow piece to dry thoroughly. All the moisture must be removed from the piece before firing in kiln. This may take up to 24 hours. Dry for a minimum of 12 hours.

12. Place piece on kiln shelf that has been either washed with kiln wash or protected with kiln paper.

13. Shut the lid or access. Use kiln posts to vent kiln about 1-2 inches. The posts should be placed so that the kiln lid is open about 1-2 inches to vent the kiln and allow the materials from the medium to burn off.

14. Start the kiln.

15. Heat kiln at approximately 250 degrees per hour to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and hold at this temperature for 20 minutes.

16. Heat kiln at around 500 degrees per hour to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

17. Soak piece for about 10 minutes to allow the glass to even out in temperature.

18. Take piece up as fast as possible to final firing temperature. This would be 1034-1074 degrees Fahrenheit for low fire decals and 1280-1320 for high fire decals.

21. Turn off and unplug the unit. If the unit is built with heavy fire bricks, you can allow it to cool off by itself. On the other hand if it is assembled with ceramic fiber, the unit must be kept on and monitored so that it does not cool down more than about 300 degrees Fahrenheit per hour.

22. When the temperature drops beneath 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the kiln may be opened.